Matt Thornton is headed to the disabled list with an oblique strain just 10 appearances after the Red Sox acquired him from the White Sox.

Thornton mostly worked the eighth inning for Boston, so the bullpen will have to reshuffle a bit in his absence. And based on the usual recovery timetable for oblique injuries–which can often linger much longer than initially expected–the impending free agent may not pitch again until September.

Thornton suffered the injury Sunday and had hoped to avoid the DL, but Pedro Beato has been recalled from Triple-A to take his place in the bullpen.

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports Thursday that the Orioles “are said to have begun fielding calls of interest” on superstar Manny Machado and “are close to the point of seriously weighing whether to trade him.”

You’d think it would be a no-brainer for the last-place O’s to flip Machado — an impending free agent — for prospects, but Heyman notes there is “still a question whether or not longtime Orioles owner Peter Angelos” will give the go-ahead. One person familiar with the situation put it a “50-50” likelihood. Another suggested that it would take a massive return, which, sure.

Machado entered play Thursday with a sensational .328/.405/.635 batting line, 15 home runs, and an MLB-leading 43 RBI in 49 games. It’d be a real shock if he’s still wearing an O’s uniform by the end of July.

Heyman reported previously that at least nine teams made aggressive plays for Machado this winter, including the Cubs, Phillies, Dodgers, Indians, Diamondbacks, Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox, and Cardinals. A whole lot of those teams still make sense here in late May — maybe all of them except the White Sox.